Overflow In The Hard Paths Sample

Overflow In The Prison 

While in prison Joseph experienced favour again in the eyes of the prison warden and is therefore made in charge of all prisoners. It is truly amazing how this one man repeatedly finds favour in the eyes of authorities in a foreign land. They could sense something different in him that even his own family couldn’t see. Eventually when the King’s baker and butler are placed in the same prison as Joseph he is put in charge of their needs. Interestingly, Joseph is intuitive about the needs of these men and urges them to share the dreams that had disturbed them. His interpretations come true resulting in the death of one man and the liberation of the other. His only plea to the butler when interpreting his dream was that he remember him once he was reinstated, yet he was promptly forgotten. 

It’s only two years later, when Pharaoh has dreams that no one can interpret, that Joseph is remembered and called for.

There is no mention of how Joseph handled this long wait but what we can safely assume is that he continued to serve others in the prison where he was confined. He probably was involved in the rationing of the meager food supplies to all the prisoners, keeping the peace, handling strife and encouraging the despondent. 

When we live in the overflow no matter how difficult our current season is, we will continue to be sensitive to the needs of those around us. We will also be able to patiently endure the wait that the season involves, trusting that the wait will end at its Kairos (God-appointed) moment and until then faithfully do what we are asked to do. These hard seasons may seem interminable but in hindsight they will play a big role in growing us into the roles we will eventually step into.